Speaking Roles

Tuesday, Dec. 3rd, 7:00-8:30 pm

Tuesday, Dec. 10th, 7:00-8:30 pm

Friday, Dec. 13th, 7:00-9:00 pm

All Musical Participants

Saturday, Dec. 7th, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Saturday, Dec. 14th, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Dress Attire: 

Unless spoken to directly by Tricia or Alicia, please have your child wear black on the lower half with a nice solid color shirt or sweater (Christmas colors if you have it). Please, no tennis shoes. 

Sunday, December 15:

Please arrive by 8:00 am and meet upstairs in The LOFT. Your children will be performing at the 9:30 and 11:00 services. In between services, they will be directed back stage for a bathroom break and quick snack. We ask that they do not leave the worship center because of the quick turn-around.

Tiny Town 2's-4's Rehearsal:

Saturday, Dec. 14th, 9:00-9:30 am

Sunday, Dec. 15th, Meet in Tiny Town by 8:30 am.

The children will be singing at the beginning of the 9:30 and 11:00 services and then can be seated with their parents. After the 9:30 service, please take your child to the bathroom and return to the front row of the worship center by 10:55.

Dress Attire:

Please have your child wear his/her "Christmas best." Please, no jeans or tennis shoes.

Jody Van Kley, our Worship Director, is looking for several 2nd-5th grade readers for either one of the Christmas Eve worship services on Tuesday, December 24 at 3pm or 5pm. Please email your child's interest to children@calvaryop.org!

Childcare for infants through age 4 will be provided at both Christmas Eve services. However, we are looking for volunteers to sign up to help with providing childcare at one of the services. If you feel inclined to attend one service and are available to serve at the other, please sign up on the board in the lobby or email your interest to luzl@calvaryop.org. Thank you so much for serving our children!

PSSSST..... 

Please remember your child's Sunday School teachers when you are writing out Christmas cards! (Check out the list of names in the right column.) They love serving in The LOFT and Tiny Town and commit every Sunday for the whole school year! A nice note of appreciation would go a long way!

It's not too late to join KidsLife families in our online book study on on Pray Big For Your Child by Will Jr. Davis.

We have begun to read through the first four chapters. Join us on our blog at www.calvaryop.org/praying-for-your-children-blog. I am writing some good quotes from the book, so even if you have not picked up your copy at Calvary's Revelations Bookstore (for only $10), you can still read our thoughts on the topic! If you want to read along, HERE is the reading outline.   

Take a look at some of the comments:

In only a few weeks (of reading this book) it has transformed how I pray and what I ask for. This chapter (Ch. 3) came at the perfect time as I was moved to pray for 100% healing in my nephew that was diagnosed with a very large brain tumor last week and had to undergo a very risky surgery! I decided...I wasn't going to ask for guidance for the surgeon...I was going to ask God to be the surgeon and to heal him completely! Well...lo and behold the Lord God Almighty saw my challenge, and answered the way only He can!!

Click here to read more.

You may have missed September and November's PNO, so make sure not to miss January's! Go online to www.calvaryop.org/pno to register your child(ren). Sign up forms will show up in the lobby and online starting December 29. The deadline to sign up is Monday, January 13. There are maximums on the grade levels, so sign up soon! Cost is $5 per child for the night. Dinner (served at 6 p.m.) and snack (served at 8:30 p.m.) included. 

Cadets will be meeting THIS Wednesday, December 4. Also, don't forget about December's BIG EVENT! Wednesday, December 18 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. is BRING A FRIEND DODGEBALL and ICE-CREAM NIGHT! See you (and your friends) there!

Just a friendly reminder that it's never too late to join us or invite a friend to join! Go to www.calvaryop.org/cadets to see and share a promo video!

Questions? Direct them to our Cadet Coordinators Mark Sullivan, drpaulmarksullivan@gmail.com, and Mike Sluis, sluismichael@sbcglobal.net.

GEMS

The 2nd-8th grade girls will only be meeting on Wednesday, December 11 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. While we may be only meeting once in December, this will be a big day as it is our Christmas Party! Come ready to celebrate Christmas with GEMS!

Just a friendly reminder that it's never too late to join us or invite a friend to join! Go to www.calvaryop.org/gems to see and share a promo video!

THE HANGOUT

Wednesday nights we offer The Hangout from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Your child can be engaged in an activity at Calvary every week, not just twice a month!

December's Calendar

Dec. 4th - Girls Night

Dec. 11th - Boys Night

Dec. 18th - Girls Night

Momtourage

Momtourage is the new name of Calvary's ministry to moms! We meet two Friday mornings a month from 9-11:30 a.m. for discussion, speakers, crafts, and activities as we explore some of the most important issues affecting our lives and our kids. While the group is geared towards moms of young children, all moms are welcome! Join anytime! To learn more or to answer your questions, email us at momtourage@calvaryop.org.  

2013 Dates

Dec. 6th - Craft Day! (Bring four 4x6 pictures to put on coasters or trivets and any other ribbons or special paper if you want to get real creative!)  

Dec. 20th - Christmas Party! 

Does your child show interest in drama, dance, or singing? Spotlight Theater is a great place to get them plugged in to learn more skills in this area. Calvary hosts 10-week class sessions throughout the school year. Children ages 6 to 14 are eligible! Go to their website at www.spotlight.org and click on Orland Park to register your child and find out more information!  

Sunday Mornings in December

Christmas! Isn't it the best time of year with preschoolers? The wonder. The delight. The pure joy! Oh, Christmas is just so much fun!  

But, it's not the fun that we really want our kids to remember. We want them to remember the baby lying in the manger; the baby that came to save the world. We want them to remember the plan that God had for this baby. He sent an angel to say the baby was coming. He provided a stable for the baby to be born. He sent a whole host of angels to spread the news of the baby's arrival.

We want them to remember, and so we must tell them over and over again. We must tell them while we play. We must tell them while we bake. We must tell them as we cuddle to sleep. We must spend time with them, and we must tell them. Again and again they need to hear about this precious baby who was sent by God. We must tell them about God's Son. Spend time with your preschoolers this month retelling the story.

PLEASE NOTE:

Tiny Town will be celebrating Christmas with a Christmas party on Sunday, December 22 with a craft and cookies! Be sure to bring your kids out for a great time! 

MEMORY VERSE

"God has given a son to us." Isaiah 9:6, NCV

KEY QUESTION

How do we know God loves us?

BOTTOM LINE

God gave us Jesus.

Check out this month's Bible teachings and "Parent/Child Small Talk" outside the 3's and 4's room or right here!

Questions about our Sunday mornings? Contact Luz Lopez, Weekend Coordinator, luzl@calvaryop.org. 

Serving Hearts

The expectation is that all families who regularly use the Tiny Town facilities volunteer occasionally to ensure that there are always adequate caregivers for each service.

If you have not already done so, please find Luz or Corinne to fill out a form indicating which dates and times you will be available to help out, and return the form to the Tiny Town office.

Fall ministries are here! Our programs are for infants through age 5!

Wednesdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Question: So, what goes on down there in Tiny Town on Wednesday mornings while the moms, grandmas, and "girlfriends" are having Coffee Break Bible Study and on Fridays while the Momtourage ladies are meeting?

Answer: Well, first of all, our Tiny Town little ones are being lovingly cared for by an awesome group of faithful Calvary volunteers.  

The babies in the Garden Nursery are played with, rocked, patted, fed, and loved on each week.

The children from ages two and up get to play in their classrooms, engage in Bible study by hearing the stories that teach them about God's Love throughout history, work on crafts that will remind them of the day's story, have a snack, and then the most fun of all - visit Calvary's Playland!

For more information, please contact Corinne Ufferman, Weekday Coordinator, at corinneu@calvaryop.org.

December in The Loft (5s through 5th Grade) 

PLEASE NOTE:

The LOFT will be held only on December 8th and 22nd during the Christmas season. Please join us on the 15th during the 9:30 and 11:00 services for Calvary's Kids and Youth Christmas Musical.  

On the 22nd, we will be celebrating Christmas with a party during Sunday School. December 29th will be Family Worship.   See you back in the LOFT on January 5th!

If you ask a group of people about their happiest Christmas memory, you're sure to hear a story of triumph over tragedy. The stories that start with "My dad had been out of work for a while and we didn't have very much, but ..." or "It was our first family Christmas without Grandma and ..." almost always end with people finding ways to love and support each other through the hard times. The family who is struggling financially might have made gifts for each other that year, or spent the holiday serving at a homeless shelter. The family missing their loved one might have cooked her favorite recipe or made sure to sing her favorite carol. So many of our favorite Christmas memories are significant because we were able to celebrate in the face of hard times.

Joy is finding a way to be happy even when things don't go your way. Joy isn't dependent on our circumstances, but rather it's about being content beyond our circumstances. We can have joy when we recognize that God's plan is greater than our own. Our joy is a response to our trust in God.

When life is going well for us, we can rejoice in God's goodness. When things don't go our way, we can still rejoice because we know that God has promised to always be with us and give us peace. We can always find joy.

Get Your Weekly / Monthly Devotionals Here!  

We at The Loft strongly believe that parents are the strongest teachers of God. We're committed to give you parents tools to help you succeed in teaching your children about Christ!  Here are this month's GodTime Devotionals. You can also get a hard copy outside the LOFT doors.

Offering Update  

Abel

Aniya

Thank you for teaching your child the importance of tithing and giving to others in need. Through your child's support, we continue to sponsor two Compassion International children. Abel is now 7 and lives in Mexico and Aniya just turned 5 and lives in India.

Our monthly sponsorship commitment is $38.00 per child, a total of $76.00.

We continually teach the kids what compassion is all about. To help them carry out compassion towards others and to remind them, we have fun monthly voting ballots. When they bring in their change, they can put it the stoplight of their personal vote.  

DECEMBER'S OFFERING CHALLENGE:

(Drum roll please!)

What is your preference: Candy canes or fudge? 

KidsLife Ministries would like to help support our families. One way we have decided to do this is to use this Parent iResource section to list job opportunities in addition to providing resources that you as a parent can use. You can give a description of what you have to offer (i.e. childcare) or list what you are looking for. We hope to foster a community where we can help each other connect. Any questions or descriptions should go to Tiffany at children@calvaryop.org.  

Check out these great Christmas articles! 

Tired of feeling guilty that you need to buy so many presents for your kids and all you want for them is to realize the real meaning of Christmas? Try focusing their gifts on the gifts given to Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh. It will change your Christmas giving tradition. Begging For Myrrh by Trina Conner Schaetz. 

Looking to keep "Christ" in Christmas? Find new traditions and activities to achieve this goal! Keeping Christ in Christmas

A DEVOTIONAL CHALLENGE! 

A challenge to dig into devotionals with your family throughout the week!  

God's Word is with you! Many families have smart phones, tablets, or even just a computer. There are so many resources at your fingertips to grow in your faith WITH your child!

We've got an app for that! Find it at: 

https://www.bible.com/app  

Download the app to the device of your choice. Or check out the tabs on the left side of the webpage for your computer viewing options.

Search for the "Family" plan and find the best devotional fit for your family. All devotional apps vary from study length; one may be for 5 days while others may carry you through the year!    

Some suggestions are:  

- Courageous Kids

- Parenting by Design Daily Devotional

- The Creation of Nature

Another idea is to receive a daily scripture verse by email on your phone, tablet or computer. Share the verse with your child and discuss its meaning more in depth. They may have a better understanding of it then you! "Faith like a child!"  

There are many available resources for this, some include:

http://www.klove.com/ministry/encouraging-word/  

http://www.verseoftheday.com   

http://www.thedailybibleverse.org/   

Need a babysitter and not sure who to contact or trust? How about giving one of our very own Calvary teens a call?! We have a list of Calvary teens who are interested in watching your children! If you want to obtain a copy of this list, please see or contact Tiffany. Additionally, if you know of anyone else who would like to be placed on this list, please send information to children@calvaryop.org. 

Have you checked out our Facebook page?

Come and join the KidsLife Ministries community online right here!